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  • Bliss(ters)

  • How I walked from Mexico to Canada One Summer
  • By: Gail M. Francis
  • Narrated by: Wendy Tremont King
  • Length: 8 hrs and 32 mins
  • 4.2 out of 5 stars (24 ratings)
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Bliss(ters) cover art

Bliss(ters)

By: Gail M. Francis
Narrated by: Wendy Tremont King
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Summary

Just before her 40th birthday, Gail Francis quit her perfectly good job and set out to hike one of the great trails of the world. Carrying everything she needed on her back, Francis spent five months walking from Mexico to Canada along the Pacific Crest Trail. Along the way, she lost her pack scrambling over scree in the desert, struggled to navigate high mountain passes, and wore the soles off her boots trekking across lava fields - all within some of the most pristine wilderness in the nation. Though she set out alone, her story includes an eclectic cast of characters. From the man walking the entire 2,700 miles in a series of 26 wedding dresses, to the woman making the journey in the company of her pet mouse, Francis learned to count on her fellow hikers for entertainment as well as a few important life lessons.

©2017 Gail M. Francis (P)2019 Tantor

What listeners say about Bliss(ters)

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  • Overall
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Enjoyed

I really enjoyed this book but didn’t at the beginning because I realised the narration was too slow. So I changed it to 1.2 x speed and it was perfect.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Bit robotic in reading, otherwise absolutely great

Absolutely loved it wish there were more stories like this. Come on Gail write another.

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Narrow-minded windbag

I listened to almost an hour of this, but the author is narrow-minded, self-centered, dislikes other human beings and talks of very little besides herself and her dislike of other hikers. I just got bored of her and couldn't stand to go on. Performance is fine.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The narration made it hard to feel genuine warmth for the author, but I admired Gail's fortitude and storytelling

The narrator seemed a poor personality match to the author and I wish I'd sped the book up like I saw another reviewer had. The narration was monotonous and was read in a way that amplified any pettiness or sanctimoniousness or judgemental tones that the author may or may not have had and seemed to lack a feeling of the adventure and courage of the story itself.

The story itself was evocative and took me on the hike with her - every painful gruelling step. The beauty, the challenge, the warmth and generosity of others met along the way, the frustrations and the fears were well told. A bit whiny and judgy in places (partly the narration, partly the recounting of the story?) but I might also have been whiny if I was carrying a pack like that for as long as that in as much pain as that.

Still, it was well-worth the listen for a first-person view of long-distance thru-hiking and backpacking and of the PCT from Mexico to Canada.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

A little gem

I chose this at random from the plus catalogue and I am so glad I did. A lovely and uplifting travel book. I recommend following the route on Google maps.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Another good hiking tale

Good book, tame (for a PCT tale) but probably more realistic than most.
Definitely realistic on the blisters front!

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story .. but challenging

An inspiring story, the author doesn't come across as one that you easily love but throughout the story she changes and you end the book with a good feeling. The challenge was the narration, robotic and lacking emotion or animation of any sort I found the first few chapters near put me to sleep but stuck it out.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great story

A superb account of a great adventure - you really get to know the author during the journey

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